wheel PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1998 Service Manual

Attach T-hook chains in front of rear wheels in bottom
of frame rail on both sides.
Attach a separate safety chain around each outboard end
of the
rear axle.
NOTICE:
We care not to damage the brake pipes and cables.
5- 14

If a Tire Goes Flat Changing a Flat Tire
It’s unusual
for a tire to “blow out” while you’re driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it’s much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a “blowout,” here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the
flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot
off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you’d use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to
go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely. If
a tire goes flat, avoid further
tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place.
Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
I
A CAUTION:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip
off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find
a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transmission to
FIRST (1) or REVERSE (R).
3. I’urn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other
side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
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Find the plastic screw heads in the trim panel over the
spare tire. (See “Compact Spare Tire” later in this
section for more information about the compact spare.)
Use a coin or a key to turn the screw heads until the
slots point front
and back. Gently lift the trim panel and
move it out
of the way.
If you have speakers in the trim panel, you may have to
disconnect the wire from the speaker. The speaker wire
may be long enough to remove the trim panel without
disconnecting
the wire.
To remove the jack and wheel wrench, loosen and
remove the bolt and remove the plastic cover.
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I
Remove the wing nut and adapter and pull out the spare. The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and
wheel wrench (B).
5-30

The jack has a bolt at the end. Attach the wheel wrench
to the jack bolt.
Turn the wheel wrench to the right to raise the lift head
a little.
If your wheel has a bolt-on center cap, loosen the plastic
caps using the wheel wrench.
5-31

Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
Each wheel has one locknut in place of the standard
wheel nut.
A special wheel lock key (removal tool) and
instructions are located in the center console. Attach
the wheel lock key to the socket of the wheel
wrench. Remove the locking wheel
nut by turning
to the left (counterclockwise).
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them
yet.
5-32

3. Raise the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench to
the right (clockwise). Raise the vehicle far enough
off the ground so there is enough room for the spare
tire
to fit. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off
the flat tire.
4. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces
and
spare wheel.
A CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which
it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after
a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle.
In an
emergency, you can use a cloth or a paper towel
to do this; but be sure
to use a scraper or wire
brush later,
if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.
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1 A CAUTION:
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall
off, causing a serious accident.
5. Replace the wheel nuts with the rounded end of the
nuts toward the wheel. Tighten each nut
by hand
until the wheel is held against the hub.
6. Lower the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench to
the left (counterclockwise). Lower the jack
completely.
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7. Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly in a crisscross
sequence as shown.
/! CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to become loose
and even come
off. This could lead to an accident.
Be sure to use the correct wheel nuts.
If you have
to replace them, be sure to get new
GM original
equipment wheel nuts.
Stop somewhere
as soon as you can and have the
nuts tightened with a torque wrench to 100 lb-ft
(140 N.m).
5-37

NOTICE:
Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead to
brake pulsation and rotor damage.
To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specification.
Don’t try to put
a center cap on your compact spare
tire. It won’t fit. Store the center cap in the rear area
until
you have the flat tire repaired or replaced.
I NOTICE:
Center caps won’t fit on your compact spare. If
you try to put a center cap on your compact
spare, you could damage the cover or the spare.
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools
A CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment
of the vehicle could
cause injury.
In a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store all these
in the proper place.
5-38